The Crossing
by LuNaTiC PsYcHo MaNiAc
Summary: Kaida Ringo; Just moved to Konoha after a terrible event to live with her God-brother; thinking all is safe for now. Little does she know, poor Kaida...  NarutoXocXLee. Contains minor language. May contain slight OOC-ness. Contains some horror properties.
1. Preface

AN/ Harro, all! Just recently, I randomly started writing on, and on, and on. And this is the product- a new story of mine that I'm HOPEFULLY going to keep to. At this rate, however, it looks like it.

So, after having a friend of mine look over the first two sections, she demanded I upload it, and here I am.

Currently, I have seven other uploads written out for this story; however, I'm going to upload one of them after this, and that's all you'll get for now.

The disclaimer is, I do NOT own Naruto. I don't own any of it's character, or it's plot line. I DO however, own Kaida, her story, how her affects this plotline, and any other characters or stories that should come about.

Adding unto this, I do not own any lyrics that should come up in this story.

One thing I should mention before starting, as well- the chapters in this story are going to be... Different, per say. In this example, it's going to go 'Preface' to 'Journal entry' to 'Chapter.'

It might be a little confusing, but you'll see my meaning later one. But enough of my rambles! Reviews are appreciated- and lets move on, shall we? We shall.

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><p>"This place is pretty big."<p>

Step.

Step.

Step.

That's six hundred and eighty now.

"It is, huh?"

Six hundred and eighty-three.

"It'll seem smaller once you get used to it, I'm sure."

"I doubt it."

Eighty-eight.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, you might love it here."

Six hundred and ninty-one.

"We'll see."

"Just… Give it a chance, okay? I know it's different from Oudan-"

"You can't even put this place in the same sentence as Oudan,"

Seven hundred and five.

"Well… Yes. But the point is- change is good-"

"Unlikely."

A sigh.

Seven hundred and eight.

We've stopped.

Why?

"Tamas-"

"Kaida."

"Kaida? But I thought-"

"It's Kaida."

"Well… Kaida. Just try and open up a bit, alright? It's really not that bad. You might even make a friend."

"Pfft."

A groan.

"Alright, alright. Just promise me you'll try, okay?"

"Whatever."

"Kaida."

"Fine. I promise."

"Good. Come on, we're almost there."

We're walking again.

Seven hundred and twelve.

Seven hundred and fifteen.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

"Okay, Kaida. We're here."

Seven-hundred and twenty.

Door opens, revealing bunches and bolts of chatter- averaging on why the teacher was late- other times settling on frequent squeals of irritations and speaking of family and home.

Sudden silence.

"Alright, class. Settle down, we have a new student today."

A sudden new array of chatter came abruptly.

"_I wonder who he is!"_

"_Maybe he's cute?"_

"_What if it's a girl?"  
><em>

"Settle down! Behave yourselves. Kaida, would you please come in?"

Twenty one.

Twenty two.

Twenty four.

"…_Is it a guy or a girl?"_

"_I don't know… Looks kinda like a girl though."_

"_But it's too flat chested to be a girl!"_

"_Shut up, you're being rude!"_

"_Why don't you just ask?"_

"_Maybe it's both?"_

"_It might be."_

"_I'm lost."_

"_Ask!"  
><em>

"Are you a girl or a guy?"

Irritating- and possibly offensive.

"Class, behave! Now, Kaida, would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Not particularly."

"_Definitely a girl."_

"_Yeah, I see it now."_

"_I dunno. Some guys have girlish voices."_

"_This is true…"  
><em>

Throat clearing, a slight blush, but glares at the rude class.

"Well, I'll introduce you, then, would you like that?"

"Eh."

"Alright then… Class, this is Ta- Kaida. Kaida Ringo. Please treat _her_ with respect. Is there any questions-"

An opening of mouths.

"-Any _acceptable_ questions?"

And thus, the mouths close.

"I have one, Sensei!"

The voice's owner- pink hair, green eyes- eyes drifting to one beside her. Voice high and bossy; a blush appearing permanent. Bitchy Fangirl.

"Okay, yes, Sakura?"

"Where did you come from?"

"Uh, Sakura-"

"Somewhere far, far away. Unlikely that any of you know of it. Anything else?"

"Yeah, why are you so weird?"

Another voice; can't place its owner, though.

"It is not I who is the oddity. If anything, you all are below the normal. If that's all; I think I shall sit, thank you,"

My glance immediately moving to the teacher of the class.

"Alright, then…. Kaida, go sit over by Naru….To?"

"Iruka?"

"Hold on just a moment, Kaida. Has anyone of you seen Naruto?"

The pink- Sakura, shrugged.

"I bet he wandered off again to cause trouble, that Naruto."

Iruka proceeded to groan.

"Alright, class; today's a free period. Review and go over the next chapter. Hinata?"

"Yes, Sensei?"

A small, timid voice this time.

"Would you kindly help Kaida out, please? I'm going to find Naruto."

"A… Alright."

Door shuts- immediate chatter coming from those uncaring of obeying. Others studied. Unable to hear my footsteps over the voices- I stopped in front of the timid; Hinata. Purple, blue hair; pupil-less eyes, vacant of color.

"H-hello,"

"Hello. Kaida Ringo."

"Ah… H-Hinata Hyuga. It's ni-nice to meet you, Kaida-chan."

"You as well, Hyuga-san,"

"You can c-call me Hinata…"

"I'd prefer otherwise, Hyuga-san; you may call me Kaida, though. May we get started, then?"

"A… Alright, Kaida-chan."


	2. Entry Zero

AN/ Heres the first Entry, like I promised! ^-^

First things first, however- I STILL don't own Naruto, nor do I own Death Cab for Cutie.

I DO however own Kaida, and any other characters that appear that are mine.

Reviews are appreciated! And with that said, unto the story? I think so.

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><p>Iwillfollowyou-Intothedark<p>

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><p><em><strong>Entry Zero; The Introduction**_

_Hello. If you're reading this; I'm assuming you're either me; or some specter who has their hands on this particular journal by accident, or by curious purposes._

_In the case you are, I welcome you; it's not often you run across these things._

_Then again, it's not often one writes in these things, isn't it?_

_I suppose not…_

_But where are my manners? I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?_

_For the purposes of this journal being a gift; as well as my current location, my name is Kaida Ringo; my home being a town, Oudan. Chances are, you've not heard of it. It's very small in a vast world- its population being a mere two-fifty, none more, none less. Occasionally we'd get a few stragglers; beat from constant strain of the Ninja era, or just travelers passing through. Either way, though, they never remained long. Come to rest, to heal, but always eventually to leave._

_I suppose that's how it got its name- Oudan; Village of 'Crossing.' Always a stepping stone to another place; never a permanent face, my mother would say. I never did understand her that well._

_I suppose one wouldn't understand that saying, unless you were to leave, or 'Cross' through the village themselves; I suppose that's why I understand it much more thoroughly now._

_But my crossing is a story for another time._

_My current residence is the large village of Konoha; living in a small apartment with Iruka Umino; my Sensei, my God-brother, and the giver of this journal._

_He's strict, much like a teacher would be- but at the same time gentle. Caring. Understanding. And overall open- strange, compared to home…_

_But this is my home now, isn't it?_

_Anyways; this village is something I'll have to get used to; if that's possible, which I doubt, but Iruka says otherwise; tells me to give it a shot._

_Suppose he's happy though; thinks I've made a friend._

_Hinata's a sweet girl. She's timid, awkward, and helpful- but I would hardly call her a friend._

_You don't make friends in a day._

_But I'll let him believe what he wants- after all, if it makes him happy, why stop the rain?_

_That's why I'm writing in this, though, isn't it?_

_He thinks it'll be good for me; to jot my thoughts down on paper. To have a depiction of the each important event while I live here in this village of Leaves. To have a memory._

_I suppose he's right… But we'll see how good it is for me, really._

_That said, however; up to this point, nothing significant has occurred; simply moved in Saturday; spent Sunday with Iruka (which consisted of catching up on our lives, Ramen at this place called 'Ichiraku,' and him seeing how much I know, for placement of the Ninja academy. Which to his utmost delight, I'm apparently average standards for my age, thus in his class), and today I went through my first day at this Ninja academy._

_For the most part, it was boring. Once Hinata got me caught up with the chapter, I went off on my own until Iruka came back with this 'Naruto' character._

_Boy, that Naruto was the strangest thing I've seen._

_First it consisted of him being dragged by the ear into the class._

_Second, Iruka scolded him._

_Third, the blonde, blue eyed boy started to complain that he had accidently slept in._

_Fourth, he noticed me._

_Fifth, he pointed in my direction and demanded to know who I was._

_Sixth, he took another scolding from Iruka._

_And finally, seventh, he sat beside me in the last empty seat; grumbling about how unfair Iruka was, and how he'll show him, and I quote, 'When I become the best damned Hokage this village has seen!'_

_That, of course, was a little louder than a murmur, and received him another scolding by my dear care-taker; and thus, a proceeded review of the substitution technique, which earned groans from the rest of the class._

_During our spots in line, however, was when I officially met him. His hand put out for me to shake, his sharp teeth showing through his grin, despite his irritated composure, and spoke, "Hi! My name's Naruto Uzumaki- the next Hokage. Believe it!" Then, with his head tilted to the side, he asked the dreaded (not really) question. "Who are you, anyways? I haven't seen you before! Are you a spy for the Hokage? If so… I didn't do it."_

_The sentence was simply, when put down on paper. But his expressions and sneaky attitude, the glancing of his eyes, and the sneaky posture were what engraved it for me. That Naruto… He has power. Lots of it. I just don't know if he knows it yet…_

_But still, to this hour- I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a boy._

_Not that I care- but I wonder how long I can make him think that…_

_Consider it a… Experiment, if you will._

_Oh… I think my living here will be quite interesting indeed._

_Maybe Iruka was right- perhaps I'll learn to like it here? Perhaps it's not as dull as I thought…_

_Nah._


	3. The Introduction

AN; Here's the first chapter! Just a week later, aye?

I have an offer; Entry One will come sooner if you review =D

If you don't want to, however, I will be posting it Sunday.

Just a small offer. 'Cause I like reviews that aren't flames. They be prettyfuls ^-^

Anyways, please excuse any spelling errors that may occur. I reviewed this chapter after and during my writing, but I might've lost something.

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I own Kaida though. Pretty pretty Kaida. Nor do I own CocoRosie. =D

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><p>Inadream- -Iwasawerewolf<p>

* * *

><p><em>Bzzt<em>

_Bzzt_

_Bzzt_

Groaning, I could barely make out the alarm's squall before the sound of it falling met my ears; then silence… Perhaps it decided to shut up? Maybe I could get away with sleeping a bit longer…

"KAIDA! Time to get up!"

Or maybe not.

I groaned again, turning over on my side- only to be met with a falling feeling and a sudden thud upon the hard wood floor; which only received another groan from my mouth. Wonderful. Second day of school to start with an aching back; today's going to be wonderful, I can already tell.

Sarcasm, in case you were wondering.

"Kaida?" a knock, then the sound of the door opening, "You okay? I heard a something- What did you do?"

"What do you think?" I turned my head to the direction of the voice; staring out in darkness towards his direction, "I fell down, simply put."

"…You haven't gotten any less of a klutz since we last saw each other, huh?"

"Shush."

He let out a laugh, walking towards my direction and pulling me up from the floor to a standing position; shaking his head, "Get dressed, Kaida. I'm going to get you something to eat" he started towards the door, stopping when I cleared my throat.

"Uh, Iruka," I spoke, simply pointing to my eyes, unaware of if he turned around or not.

"Oh right! I'm sorry, Kaida. I nearly forgot,"

"You did forget."

"Can you blame me?" he laughed sheepishly, his putting my arm over his shoulder and leading me out of the bedroom, and into what I could assume the bathroom, stopping suddenly and letting my arm drop. "Alright, brace yourself."

I tilted my head back, tense, preparing for what I had to go through each day; only did I relax once the cold, wet liquid met my eye; and again the other; blinking to keep it in.

"There you go, is that better?"

Opening my tightly closed eyes, I blinked a few more times as the darkness started to fade, the outlines of the world around me steadily coming back into place, "Much. Thank you."

"You're welcome- get ready, then, okay? I'm going to get you something to eat. Ramen?"

"I'd rather take an apple."

"Apple it is, then!"

Sighing, I heard the door close behind me and I stared into the mirror, blinking until everything was clear; and once it was, I looked at my appearance. My skin, pale and dry; freckles adorned my skin in various, but limited spots on the neck down; my face being relatively clear of a blemish, except perhaps a faint, bubble-gum shade of pink adorning my cheeks, forehead and chin in a natural blush. My face shape a slight triangular oval- with a small, but not unattractive point at my chin. My nose was average, rounded at the tip; my lips the same average. My hair was a short mess of pink and blonde, however. Reaching just above my chin, I had bangs that managed to cover my forehead in slight points, with hair laying in a pointed, slightly inward curve on each side of my face. Other than that, and a slight spike that was permanently styled in the back, my hair was a plain mess of Strawberry blonde.

I watched as my white eyes slowly tint themselves with a pale grey as my vision became clearer and clearer, leaving them with a slightly silver color; once clear enough that I wouldn't dizzy myself out, I brushed my fingers through the tangled mess I call hair, turning on my sink and splattering water into my face; removing the excess eye drops and using itself as an natural coffee. Immediately groping for and grabbing a towel, patting all the water off of my face.

Turning to the shower beside me, I turned the faucets on and adjusted them, letting the water fall unto my hand until satisfied with the lukewarm temperature; slipping out of my cotton shorts and polyester tank; finishing off with my undergarments and running my hands through my hair once more, in hopes of clearing the mess a bit more before I stepped into the shower; washing all the dirt and grime from the day before away; cleaning my hair, cleaning my body, then stepping out of the comforting shower and into the cold fifteen minutes later.

Wrapping a towel around me, making sure it was secure; I left the bathroom to see Iruka with his back to me, making what looked like waffles before I quickly retreated to the bedroom, shutting the door and using the towel to finish drying myself- then letting it fall as I grabbed and slipped on my undergarments, staring at myself in the mirror.

I was aware I was female, yes. I had a small frame, though- if one would classify it, a pear shape. However, due to my binding, I'm not surprised to be confused with a guy; but I don't really care. Binding keeps my balance well. Keeps people from getting the wrong idea- the last thing I need.

After I was content with the bindings around my chest, I slipped on my usual attire- which consisted of a short sleeve, low v-neck shirt that let the top of my bindings show. It was grey in color, and had triangles on the lower sides that were a deep purple. The only special editions were the crest of the Oudan village under my chest on the left side. It was a box, with a line that curved up to the middle of the box, went down below it, and then finished off in a straight line to the end of the box- simple, but it significant.

My bottoms was simply baggy, light brown pants that went just below my knees; buttoning up at the crotch, a ninja pouch strapped to my right thigh and pockets deep enough to carry hidden blades or money. Turning, I walked to the end table of the bed, flinching at the broken clock that I knocked over earlier- I'll have to clean that later on. Sighing, I grabbing the black choker that was on the table, tying it over my neck, and then doing the same for the low-hanging necklace, having a small aquamarine jewel at the end of a small chain attached to where it clips in the back, and a green triangle pendant that was chopped, much like how my hair is, where the flat side should be. Once finished with that, I took the binding and started wrapping my legs from the calf down, slipping on my deep purple, calf-high ninja shoes; with a half-inch heel and black lace going from the top, inner corners down to the back of my heel; complete black steel-toes to match the lace.

Stretching, I proceeded to wrap my arms in the same bindings, going from just below my elbow to the end of my fingers- going from a fist to open hands a couple times to get myself used to the gauze, I put on my final attire- a white beanie-like-hat, with the crest of the makers on the bottom right corner (Something like hands washing each other), the words 'Giz' on the bottom left, and then my towns crest just above those words.

Looking into the mirror once more, making sure I was content with my appearance, I left the bedroom of the three-roomed apartment. It consisted of a living room (Where Iruka is sleeping, much to my arguments) slash kitchen, a bedroom, and a small bathroom; nothing more, nothing less.

Finally, after making sure I had the correct weaponry in my pouch, my small blade and my money in my pockets, I walked over to him, pulling out an Apple from a basket on the counter, taking a bite as I watched him cleaning his plate- obviously already finishing and eating the food he was making earlier.

"Good morning, Kaida. Nice shower?"

"I guess."

"That's good. Listen," he started, setting the dishes in the sink and turning towards me, my posture straightening from its slouched position. "I have to run a couple of errands before class today; so, unless you want to tag along…"

"I'm going," I spoke, turning my back, "See you at the academy."

"Do you remember how to get there?"

I looked over at him, my eyebrow raised and head tilted to the side.

"Right, photographic memory;" he laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in a nervous manner, then he proceeded to nod at her, "Be safe, then."

"Kay," turning around, I walked out of the apartment building, making my way to the Academy, biting out of the apple; the silence being disturbed by the hassle and bustle of the villagers, either preparing for their jobs, missions, school- doesn't matter, though, all I know is that it's another feature about this place that I'll have to try to get used to.

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><p>I don't know exactly how long I was walking, but I suppose it didn't matter; I guess all that matters is that I made it to the class, Seven-hundred and twenty-four steps from Iruka's home to the class room.<p>

Upon entering, my eyes immediately went to the clock on the wall- Seven fourty-five. Still fourty-five minutes before people'll start arriving; ah, time alone never hurt anyone.

Turning my head away from the clock, I was greeted by the small glance from a boy clad in blue, with onyx eyes and black hair styled in a fashion that resembled a ducks butt- the boy being in the seat next to the one that was assigned for me the day past.

Shrugging, I walked up to sit in my seat, knowing that when he decided to arrive, Naruto would be on my right, opposite of the guy- a small smile crossing my features at my experiment I decided on the day before, leaning forward into a position much like the boy's beside me- elbows resting on the table, hands folded together. Only difference, my chin was resting on my hands.

"Tch."

"What was that?" I opened my left eye, looking to the boy beside me; only to see an annoyed expression crossing his features, but left me in silence, making me close my eye again, "Thought so."

I heard him 'Hmph,' obviously annoyed by, either the fact that I spoke back in the same condescending tone of voice he had used the day before, or because he assumed I was one of his chaotic fan girls urging to chase him down an alleyway. Yeah, that happened yesterday too.

The silence continued on for a good twenty minutes; him tense, possible wondering why I wasn't fawning over him by now over the angsty, demeaning and egotistical nature that was radiating off him ever so bluntly; Me? I was by no means in any hurry to break that silence. Ah but well… Dreams can't last long.

"Sasuke-kunnnn! I'm here for you!"

Pinky's here again.

"No, Bill-board brow! Get out of my way! I get to sit beside him today! You sat there Friday!"

That's a new voice. Wonder who it could be?

Pft. No. Like I give a flying duck.

See what I did there? Bazinga.

"Fat chance Ino-pig! Sasuke's MINE!"

"Bill-board brow!"

"Ino-pig!"

"Bossy!"

"Yeah, we knew you were!"

"Sasuke's mine!"

"No. He's MINE!"

"Mine!"

Sighing, I let my hands drop and eyes open, seeing the girls fighting directly in front of us, not noticing either of us. Seeing as they weren't going to quit for long, and that I'd rather not spend today with a migraine along with an aching back, I slammed my fist on the table, earning the attention of the two.

"If I may interject something," I started, my head tilting to the side, "If I recall correctly; precisely an hour after class let out- you both put your advances on to this… Sasuke, if you will, only to be denied. By that knowledge, why assume that he's either of yours, per say, when it's obvious to be a one-sided infatuation? If he was one of yours, wouldn't you say he would comply with that one's advance? Yes? Then he's not the property of either of you. With that out of the way; you may now proceed in silence, unless prepared to face the consequences of giving me a headache."

Sighing, I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples in a circle-like motion, expecting them to shut up. However, little was I surprised when the Blonde; Ino, slammed her hand down in front of me; eyebrows lowering when a reaction was not found, "Yeah? And who are you to tell us this?" she spoke, her tone dramatic.

"Kaida Ringo, now, if that is all, I would like to go back to silence, please-"

"What kind of name is that?" She humphed, "How do we know you aren't in love with Sasuke-kun yourself? I bet you're just trying to get us off his case so you can have him all to yourself!"

"Yeah!" Sakura spoke up, marching herself up beside Ino, "Out of all the seats here, you decide to sit beside MY Sasuke-kun, why?"

"He's MI-"

"I assure you, I am in no way attracted, even remotely, to the boy beside me. I am merely sitting here because this is where Iruka assigned me to sit. If he had assigned me otherwise, I would not be sitting here. However, as this is where I was told to sit, this is where I'm sitting, unless he tells me otherwise. I do not believe that the word of two girls fighting over the boy in question is hardly influential to Iruka's decision."

They stared at me a few moments, blinking, causing me to sigh dramatically.

"Dumbing it down for your sake," I spoke, sitting up straight, using my hands as emphasis, "Me no likey Sasuke. Me sit here because Teacher said so! Me has no reason to sit in Me's spot but that! Now, me is getting a boo-boo in the head. Please leave so me can no longer hurt, thank you!"

I then slouched to rub my temples once again- however, in the action, my wrist was grabbed by the blonde, glared upon so harshly that I felt myself freeze and coil inside with fear- wondering if I was going to die here…

Bazinga.

Never see them coming, do you?

Tilting my head to the side, I raised my eyebrow at her, "Yes?"

"You just called us stupid, didn't you?" she squealed. Much like a pig- guess she lives up to her name.

"Look at that; some intelligence behind that dull exterior, is there?"

"Listen here, bitch,"

"Invalid statement. But I thank you for the complement, if perhaps a little out of context."

"Complement? How is that a complement?"

"Simple enough to conceive. A bitch is a dog- dogs bark, do they not? And bark also comes from trees. Trees, however, are a part of nature; and unless I am deceived, nature is of the utmost beauty. So thank you for the complement."

"…Slut!"

"Once again invalid. I assure you, my sleeping quarters are in no way messy. I have been referred to frequently as immaculate; or finicky, if that word is above your intelligence."

I let my smirk keep its place on my lips as I watched their eyes twitch; I know, I know, I shouldn't be encouraging the petty argument. But hey, what better do I have to do?

"Ugh!" The egotistical blonde exclaimed; throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Listen, you!" she exclaimed, glaring at me once again, "That's MY seat. You're not allowed to sit by MY Sasuke-kun, so get OUT!"

"Why weren't you sitting in it yesterday, then?"

That got her. A blush flashed up her face, but I couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment, probably both. "Well… Uh…."

I smiled at her as she tried to think up an explanation, doing my best innocently devious smile I could, "Nice chatting with you, talk to me when you have a reasonable argument."

Glaring at me once again, she flipped her hair back and 'Humphed' once more, before walking away in a pissed manner, shortly followed by Sakura; who, though happy that it was Ino I told off, knew that the argument stood against her, as well. And thus, all was silent once more, except for the blaring headache that the girls had grown. Sigh.

I glanced to the boy beside, me, who was still looking at me with an eyebrow raised- to which I smirked, and nodded to him, mouthing a '_No need to thank me_,' then I proceeded back to my position from before the obnoxious fan girls come about, waiting for the class to fill and start; my head still pounding consistently. This is going to be a long day.


	4. Entry One

Eeeck! It's been a while, huh? Forgive me D=

My excuse for the LONNNGG overdue delay is me being daft and lazy. BUT. IT IS HERE NOW. And I'm going to upload the next chapter and entry as a gift, on my part. Then I'm going to go back and continue writing. AND THEN YOU WILL RECEIVE MORE. =D So... Yeah. That will be fun.

Anywhom, disclaimerdisclaimer, me no owns Naruto. Me owns Kaida! Yay. Kaida. Me likey's Kaida. Any other OCS that pop up are mine too. OTHERWISE. This is for fandom purposes, me writing down fanfiction. So yeah. I don't own Naruto. If I did it would be wicked, but as I don't... ^^''

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><p>Inadreammy- fathercametome<p>

_**Entry One; A Dream/**_

_You may wonder what these events have to do with my story- whatever my story is, that is._

_I want to let you know now that every event you see, every little speck, from a meeting of a knucklehead to the arguing of a dunderhead; they're important. I know, I know, I'm simply just a blind girl, training to be a ninja- I haven't even had this journal three days yet. But it's important._

_I have a feeling. A bad feeling._

_And maybe if I write down these events, word to word, action to action, that one might be able to go through here, search for any clues at all…_

_Yes, I know, I don't seem like that type of person, do I?_

_Ah but… Who said that my interior is expressed on the exterior?_

_Besides, why lie to myself? Unlikely that doing so would get me far. Let alone protect._

_That's really all I want to do, anyways…_

_I want to protect…_

_Everyone._

_After all…_

_No one deserves what happened to me, do they?_

_But why listen to me, anyways? I'm just a blind girl, aren't I? Telling stories as if I knew the world…_

_I just have this feeling…_

_This terrible, terrible feeling…_

_And it scares me._


	5. A Dream

Okay, here's chapter two, like I promised. =D

I really hope you guys like this. xD It's intriguing. =D Anywhom! I'm off to post the next entry, then to get back to writing this danged thing!

Oh, yeah. You guys find out a little more about Kaida-love in this chapter. ^.^ Be excited! =o

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto or it's plotline. I DO however own Kaida, any other OCs that decide to pop about, and Oudan. =D

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><p>Warmyourselfbythefire- -Andthemorningwillcome<p>

I was right.

This day is passing by far longer than I wanted it to, partially due to the factor of the two dunderheads- but I'm sure it had something to do with Naruto's constant rambling on the Pink and the Angst. Otherwise known as Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha- specifying on how he can't figure how someone as great as Sakura likes someone was stupid as Sasuke.

But it also might have something to do with the questions Iruka was bombarding us with, today apparently being the day for real-world questions; such as what you would do if crossed in a battle with enemy ninja, if you teammate was captured, etcetera. An aching back, a headache, and quizzes. Fun.

"Alright, class," Iruka's voice brought me out of my thoughts, looking up from my exasperated position against the desk; my eyes narrowed in suspicion, "That's all we have for today. Tomorrow we're going to continue our reviewing, alright?"

"But Iruka-senseiiiiiiiiii…." Naruto groaned, bored of the reviews, "We know this already! Why do we have to review?"

"Because, Naruto," he added on, strict with the young boy, "The graduation test is just two weeks away- I know you think you can do it, but which one of us has flunked out on this test two times already?"

That got him, the blondes face turned a light shade of pink. "But, but, but…"

"No buts, Naruto!" Iruka groaned, sighing as the bell went off, "Alright, class, dismissed. Make sure you're here tomorrow-" he eyed Naruto "-On _time_."

Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner; turning his attention to me as the class started exiting the room, grinning widely, "Kaida-kun!" he exclaimed, making me roll my eyes. Still not a clue.

"Yes, Uzumaki-san?"

"You're so formal…" he murmured, "I told you, you can call me Naruto…" he added, then shook his head, "No! Call me Lord Hokage!" he grinned to himself, eyes closing and teeth showing- yep, he's lost.

Sighing, I stood up from my seat; waiting for Sasuke to leave before moving to stand, walking down the stairs and grabbing my books off the desk, "Uzumaki-san, what is it?" I prodded, thinking how long it'd take for me to get to the apartment so I could grab a bottle of aspirin.

"Huh, what?" Naruto shook his head, out of his dazed composure, looking at me, before his big, blue eyes widened in realization, "Oh yeah! Do you wanna come train with me? I have this super awesome Jutsu I want to show you!" He grinned happily towards me.

Sighing, I couldn't help but give a light smile back- they were contagious, I must admit. "Two minutes, Naruto," I spoke, to which he blinked, confused as I turned away to Iruka's desk, placing the books atop there, "Hey, Iruka."

"Hi, Kaida," he smiled at me, nodding, "Did you enjoy the lesson? Also, what do you feel about Aimi's for dinner? It's easier than cooking."

"Actually, Iruka…" I murmured, nodding back to the blonde who was dazed in his thoughts once more, "Uzumaki-san asked if I would go out and train with him, if that's alright…" I trailed off, unsure.

"Naruto?" he raised an eyebrow, but sighed, nodding, "Sure. You don't have to ask me, Kaida; I'm not going to keep you from your friends… Besides, you might be able to get him to behave," he whispered the last part, smirking, then proceeded to shake his head, "Go ahead! Really- I'm not going to be upset over it," he added on, nodding me off, "I'll see you tonight, alright?"

"Alright, Iruka…" I murmured, nodding to him, "See you tonight," I added, walking to Naruto and shoving my hands in my pockets, watching as he continued in a daze about God knows what. "Sure," I spoke, bringing him out of his daze with a murmured 'Wha?' and blinking eyes, earning a roll from my own, "If I'm going to train with you, shouldn't we get going?"

"Oh, yeah!" he nodded, rushing off out the door, leaving me behind, to which I merely sighed and shook my head, watching as he popped his head out from the doorway and looked at me impatiently, "What are you waiting for?" he exclaimed, making me smirk.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I spoke, only to gasp as he grabbed my wrist when I was close enough, running along with me trying to keep up beside him; however, due to the fast, excited pace, I was surprised I hadn't lost my footing yet.

However, I'm sure if I did, he'd just drag me along like a rag doll, anyways.

* * *

><p>I'lltellyoustories-ofabettertime<p>

"…._Thats_ your technique?"

Here I was, standing in the middle of a training ground, in the middle of the forest- which I'm pretty sure was hidden for a reason, expecting to see some breath-taking technique, just to see this strange, loud, exasperating knucklehead transform into a girl; a nude girl, none the less; a technique which he dubbed as 'Sexy Jutsu.' A technique which, if I wasn't feigning masculinity for the purposes of seeing how long it'd take him to get it (A day and eight hours so far), I would have half the mind to slap him at how stupid and demeaning this technique was. In fact, if it weren't for the experiment, I probably would've already.

"Yep! Awesome, right?" he spoke, transforming back into his original form, a cocky grin planted upon his lips, my expression stayed blank, however.

"A little trivial, I would say. Perhaps a bit childish, even? Good idea, though. Suppose it'd come in handy a few times; however, what compelled you to come up with such a technique, I'd rather not know. So I'm just going to leave it at a simple note, and say that it was cool. I guess," I shrugged, sitting on the log that just so happened to conveniently be perched behind me.

"You could've just said no," Naruto spoke with a blank expression, rolling his eyes at me; "You're so wordy. I don't get it," he shrugged, then proceeded to take the spot next to me, "Hey, I have a question," he spoke suddenly, his face turned towards me.

"Go on."

"Why were you asking Iruka-sensei permission to come? It's not like he's your dad, so why? And also, why do you refer to us like 'Uzumaki-san' or 'Haruno-san' and not Iruka-sensei?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side- almost like a cat.

I chuckled, though, "That's two questions," I spoke, shrugging. "To answer the second one- where I come from, it is impolite to refer to another by their first name unless one is family, lovers, or friends, which you are none. Though you're nice enough, I would hardly call you a friend. Here, everyone stays, I've seen, whereas back home, it's rare we see a new face stay for longer than a month. We've learned that friendship is earned, and thus, I refer to you as Uzumaki-san," I explained thoughtfully.

"Oh… You don't come from a big village, I bet."

"Not nearly."

"What about Iruka, though?"

"I was getting to that," I added on, "Patience, Uzumaki-san. Patience."

He stuck his tongue out at me, letting out a laugh, before listening intently after I spoke once more, "Iruka is like family to me. He's my God-brother, and has been since I was six; so yes, I'm close enough to him to refer to him by his name. Going on to answer your first question, however- because of the fact that he's my God-brother, he is legally my guardian as of now, and thus, I ask him. It's mere respect."

"Guardian? What happened to your parents? And if you're so close, why haven't I met you before?"

"Ah, ah, Uzumaki-san," I shook my head at him, "Those are questions for another time, another place," I spoke to him, standing up from my seat, "Don't get ahead of yourself- it'll ruin the fun of figuring it out," I spoke, turning to face him, "Now, you said you wanted to train?"

* * *

><p>Idon'tneedyourhelp-Youwillletmedown<p>

"You're joking."

"Why would I joke, Uzumaki-san?"

"You've NEVER had the Miso Ramen before?"

"On contraire- I've never had ramen before Saturday."

"You have _**GOT**_ to be kidding me! Old man, make that two!"

"You got it!"

"I don't really see the point in this, Uzumaki-san…"

"You can't just sit there and say you've never had Miso Ramen before! That should be illegal!"

"We don't have ramen back home…"

"Well, now you're somewhere where there is ramen, and you're going to eat it, and love it!"

"Here you go, Naruto!"

"Thank you, Old man!"

I sighed dramatically, nodding a thanks to the shop owner and eyed the blonde, who was eyeing me intently, mouthing 'Try it' in a silent chant, letting out another sigh, I pulled apart the chopsticks, slowly, hesitantly leaning down to try a bit of the Ramen. Once I did, however, I was almost certain that Naruto was right- that it should be made illegal for those to not have tried it, at least once.

I kept those thoughts to myself; however, as I swallowed the noodles and nodded to Naruto, "It's good."

"Told you!" Naruto nodded proudly, proceeding to dig into his ramen at an alarming rate, making me wonder if I should slow him down; for fear of him getting sick all over the place, and having to deal with another scolding from my strict guardian.

Eh, he knows what he's getting himself into.

I continued to eat my own ramen- at a much slower pace than the blonde beside me, might I add, watching in awe as he proceeded to finish and order another bowl, one after the other. It was a wonder how the boy stayed so energized, so skinny, and yet so healthy with how much ramen this boy eats, it makes me wonder if he lives off of this stuff.

Thinking about it, he probably does.

"So; Kaida-kun," Naruto started, finally slowing down from his constant eating, where as he was on his fourth bowl now, and I was barely halfway finished with my first, "Where are you from, anyways? I've never seen that symbol on your hat and shirt before," he spoke, eyeing me with curiosity.

"You're asking a lot of questions today, Uzumaki-san," I responded, my eyes turning towards the bowl in front of me.

"I'm curious, though!" he exclaimed, defensive, "You show up out of the blue, and you expect me to NOT be curious?"

I let out a small laugh, rolling my eyes at him, "I get it, I get it," I turned to him, sitting up straight, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I'm from a village, or town, called 'Oudan,' otherwise known as the Village of Crossing," I spoke, "It's on the borders of the Rice Country and the Wind country- frequently used as a resting point for ninja on the way to or from the Wind or Fire country. It's not really a ninja village; though we do have a school; the school is just for basic self-defense, however. I learned what I know so far from my family and God-family and self-studies; though the school had helped a bit."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, taking in the information, "Never heard of it," he stated bluntly, going back to his food in front of him, "Why don't they all just move to the Leaf if it's so small there?"

"It's more complicated than that, Uzumaki-san," I replied, shaking my head, "You grew up here, could you imagine just up and leaving it? Though Oudan may be small, it's still home; it's the one thing that you know is permanent, whether you're there or not."

"Why'd you leave, then?"

I smiled to myself, closing my eyes, "Ask me again after you graduate. Then we'll see if I'll tell you," I put my hand out, "Deal?"

"Deal!" he nodded enthusiastically, shaking my hand to seal the deal, "Just you wait, I'm going to become a ninja, and you'll have to tell me because you respect me so much!" he exclaimed, to which I smirked at.

"We'll see, Uzumaki-san, we'll see," I responded, pushing away the now-empty Ramen bowl, looking up at the shop keeper, "How much, sir?" I questioned, reaching in my pocket to pull out the needed amount.

"Don't worry about it, on the house," he grinned, "It's not often we see Naruto with a girl here," he added on, making me narrow my eyes, wondering if my cover was blown.

"A girl? Nah, Kaida-kuns not a girl! Why are you confusing his gender, old man?"

…He's seriously this dense, isn't he?

"But… Naru…to?" the shop keeper raised an eyebrow at him, confused, looking at me for an explanation, to which I just shrugged and shook my head, but put my finger up in a silencing motion, mouthing 'Experiment,' hoping he'd get the hint. And, though I had no idea if he got the hint correctly or not, he did get some hint, and mouthed an 'Ohhhh,' smiling sheepishly, "I'm sorry, you resemble a girl slightly, is all. Please pardon my mistake."

"It is quite alright, sir. A common mistake; don't worry on it," I nodded to him politely, nodding in thanks before I proceeded to stand up, "Anyways, it was nice hanging out with you today, Uzumaki-san. But if you don't mind, I think I should be going now; Iruka might not take to kindly to me coming in late, especially when we have school again tomorrow," I bowed slightly to the blonde, turning around.

"Yeah, yeah, Teachers-pet!" he joked, sticking his tongue out at me, "See you later, Kaida-kun!"

"You as well, Uzumaki-san," I spoke to him before walking off, on the way from Ichiraku's to the apartment once more; smiling to myself at the day's events. Though starting off rough, it hasn't been that bad. That kids smiles and laughter is almost contagious though, I swear.

Still, I can't help but be shocked at how dense the kid is.

But he is a knucklehead for a reason, though, isn't he?

I think I'll like it here. Just maybe.

Now if only I could get some aspirin…


	6. Entry Two

Okay! Entry two is here. Yay! Yippidy-doodal! =D

Anywhom, anyways, yada-yada blasphemy, I'm going to go do other stuffs for now *coughwriteorbelazycough*, and hopefully I'll have more of this out soon.

Reviews are appreciated, I like knowing what people think of my works. xD =D

Disclaimer: ME. NO. OWN. NARUTO. /3

But I do own Kaida. And other OCs. And yeah. 3

* * *

><p>Amelodythats-Stuckinmyhead<p>

_**Entry Two; Chances/**_

_I have a secret for you. Not many people know of it; it's a very deep secret of mine._

_Shh… Are you ready? Here it comes…_

_I sing._

_What? That's it? What kind of secret is that?_

_No, no, it's not something such as 'Oh, I killed a person!' or 'I died and was reborn!' or something of that sort. But it's a secret not many people know; I usually keep it to myself._

_I figured since we were getting to know each other so well, I thought I should share you this secret. I mean, isn't this what friendship is all about? Sharing secrets?_

_Heh… Friends…_

_Such a funny term, isn't it? When does someone become a 'Friend'?_

_I've had this question asked to me before._

_I never really could give them an answer before; as I didn't know, to this day, I still don't have a grasp on it. But I think I might have an idea._

_I suppose I'm ready to answer this question, aren't I?_

_I guess… The point at which someone becomes a friend… Is the point where you feel comfortable around them, so comfortable, that you could spill your entire life story to them and know that they wouldn't judge you, or betray you._

_At least, that's what it seems like to me._

_What do I know, though?_


End file.
